


The Lost Hero: A Side Quest

by Hemingway4567



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Percy, Cute percabeth, During The Lost Hero, Fluff, Friendship, Grover is appreciated, Not Canon Compliant, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Post-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), Soft Percy, no memory loss for percy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:21:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27846778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hemingway4567/pseuds/Hemingway4567
Summary: This takes place during The Lost Hero. Percy doesn’t get his memory wiped and instead gets sent on a quest to retrieve Hera’s favorite necklace. But there’s more to the story than Zeus is letting on. Percy, Annabeth, and Grover embark on a quest to get this mysterious necklace, but will they find more than they bargained for?Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of these characters
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	1. Kicked out again

Percy made his way down the long hallway, heading to the principals office once again. It wasn’t as though it was his fault. The monsters just seemed to pop up everywhere he went. 

The hallway was completely silent except for the steady rhythm his shoes made as they clacked against the tile. Percy knew it didn’t look good, all the way from the ruined gymnasium to the three football players that had mysteriously disappeared. There was no way he was staying in school this time. 

“Mister Jackson,” Mr. Andrews, the principal, said as Percy took a seat in his office, “I understand transferring to a new school can be tough, but our gymnasium is in shreds. Three of our students are missing, and you are at the center of it all. I’m sorry but there is no way I can justify keeping you at this school.”

“But, sir-“

Mr. Andrews held up his hands. “I’m sorry but the decision is final. Your mother will be here to pick you up later today. I suggest you start packing.”

His heart sunk. The thought of his mom’s face as she found out he’d been kicked out again almost brought tears to his eyes. He hadn’t exactly expected to have a normal year, not after what had happened with the prophecy and Kronos and everything, but some part of him had hoped for normalcy. That part was proven painfully wrong. 

It didn’t take him long to pack, he didn’t own very many things except Riptide and his clothes. The other boys at the school all seemed to have money growing out of their pockets, but Percy knew better than to spend more than he could afford. You never knew when you would need to run for it and it never hurt to have some cash when that happened. 

His mom was there in no time at all it seemed, a sad smile on her face as she saw Percy sitting all alone. She didn’t say a word, just embraced him in a warm hug. Percy sunk into her hug, having missed her more than he thought possible. 

“Go wait in the car, please. Mr. Andrews wants to speak with me,” she said. “Oh, and I brought some blue candy with me. I may have already eaten a few, but there’s still plenty for you.”

She turned and walked into the school. Percy scrambled into the car, eager to see all the different kinds she had chosen for him. 

Maybe being kicked out isn’t the worst thing after all, he thought, popping a blue taffy into his mouth. 

\- - - - - - - - - -

Now at home in his bed, with his mom humming to herself in the kitchen, Percy reflected on what he was going to do this summer. Of course, he was going to camp half blood, there was no doubt about that, but would there be another prophecy? Would he go out on another quest or would he finally get to spend a normal summer at camp? 

He laughed to himself. Yeah, right, something normal in my life, he thought. 

Then there was a knock at the door. Before he brain he even fully processed it, riptide was in his hand and he was on his feet. It took a few moments to realize what had happened and when he did, a blush rose in his cheeks and Percy quickly put the blade away. 

It was only Paul, Percy’s stepfather, who apparently hadn’t heard of Percy’s latest catastrophe and was shocked to find him home. 

“Next year, you’ll do it next year,” he repeated. 

But deep down Percy knew that wasn’t true. Next year would turn out the exact same and the next and the next. He would never escape the loop. 

The next day they set off for camp half-blood. It wasn’t too long of a drive, but Percy was restless the entire time. It had been several months since he’d seen Annabeth. What was he going to say to her?

That morning he’d spent much too long in the bathroom making sure he looked okay even though his mom had assured him that he had. Still, he couldn’t shake the butterflies in his stomach when he thought of Annabeth. He was sure to say something dumb the first time he opened his mouth. 

“Bye, mom, I love you.” Percy embraced her in a tight hug, neither one of them wanting to let go. 

Finally, Percy released his grip and headed up the hill. Even after all the summers of going there, it still took his breath away. He couldn’t help but grin as he looked over the camp, his home, his only real home. 

Percy dumped his stuff in his cabin before going out in search of his friends. Surely Grover or Annabeth had to be around somewhere. He’d look for Grover first. Maybe Grover would know what to say to her. 

But unfortunately, he ran into Annabeth on his way to the strawberry fields. Her curly blond hair and deep gray eyes made his knees grow weak. 

He said, “uh, hey. You’ve gotten tanner.”

Yep, there it was. The first thing out of his mouth was a disaster. Why couldn’t he just speak like a normal person? But she just smiled and thanked him in an equally awkward way. After a few hours, they’d fall right back into sync, they always did. 

“When did you get here? I didn’t know you were coming,” Annabeth said. 

“Oh, yeah, I just got here. I’m a little earlier than I thought.”

It was an unspoken understanding that the reason he was so early was that he’d been kicked out again. Thankfully she didn’t push the subject. 

They talked about her new job of designing Olympus as they walked by the lake, neither one of them wanting to find Grover particularly fast. But eventually they ran into him talking to the nymphs. 

Grover was ecstatic to find Percy back so soon. His furry legs were twitching with excitement. 

“I can’t believe you’re back so soon, man. This is great!”

Percy smiled, reflecting on how lucky he was to have friends like his. 

That evening everyone sat around the fire. There were a lot more people here than the last time he was there. The gods are following through on their promise, Percy thought with a smile. 

Even though he was sitting alone at the Poseidon table, the loneliness he’d been feeling for so long was already melting away. He was home. 

\- - - - - - - - - -

Mr. D, Chiron, and a satyr Percy didn’t recognize we’re playing a card game out on the front porch of the Big House. Chiron had instructed Percy the previous night to come there as soon as he had eaten breakfast. Percy did as instructed, his stomach full with blue pancakes. 

“Ah, Percy, I’m so glad you’re here,” he said in a voice that made Percy’s stomach drop. 

There was no cheeriness in his tone, nor in his dark eyes. This wasn’t going to be good news. 

“Why don’t you have a seat?” Chiron gestured to an empty chair. 

“What’s going on?”

Chiron sighed. “The Gods have summoned you to Olympus. You’ll go this afternoon with Annabeth.”

It took all of his self control not to cry or scream or react in anyway. His hands began to shake but they had been doing that a lot after what happened with Luke and Kronos. 

Why couldn’t I just have one normal summer? Percy thought bitterly. 

In a few short hours, Percy was at the top of half-blood hill in his orange t-shirt and blue jeans, riptide tucked securely in his pants. Annabeth stood beside him in the exact same outfit, her blond hair flowing in the wind. 

Argus was driving them. Both of them climbed in the back seat a nervous silence between them. Percy grabbed Annabeth’s hand and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. 

Soon they were coming upon the Empire State Building. Percy’s mind was frozen with fear, but luckily the rest of his body wasn’t. His legs carried him to the front desk and his mouth must’ve said something intelligible because he was soon in the elevator, heading up to Olympus. Percy and Annabeth hadn’t let go of each other yet, both terrified out of their minds at what this might mean for them. 

The elevator doors clicked open and Percy took a deep breath before stepping out into Olympus.


	2. Cyclops Suck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and gang get a quest and find a monster on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mention of blood

Olympus was much better than Percy had last seen it. Instead of ruins from the final battle with Kronos, it was elegantly designed and decorated with tributes to all the gods. Percy gave Annabeth a smile, amazed she was a able to do all this. It was stunning. 

As Percy walked into the throne room, he knew he should’ve been paying attention to the gods up on their thrones, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off the place where Luke had died. Even if Percy had hated him, Luke’s death took a toll on him. He could’ve been in Luke’s place just as easily. He pried his eyes from the floor and looked up at Zeus. None of the gods looked happy, but then again, when had they ever?

“Percy,” Poseidon boomed, “welcome back. We’re glad you’re here.”

Zeus didn’t seem to agree with this statement but didn’t say anything to the contrary. Instead he glared down Percy, making his entire body sweat. But Percy held the gaze. He wasn’t a child anymore. 

Zeus seemed reluctant to say anything, but he finally spoke after minutes of silence. “Hera is a little bit a trouble. And we want you to intervene, make sure she’s okay.”

Anger boiled up inside Percy and threaten to explode. 

They want to send me out to save Hera who I have always hated and has always hated me? No way, he thought. 

Luckily Annabeth spoke before he could tell Zeus to go to Tartarus. 

“But Jason and Piper and Leo are already on that quest. Have- have they failed?” Her voice wavered. 

“No, they have not. You are not going on that quest. You and whoever you choose to accompany you will go find her favorite necklace. It was lost so many years ago and I know it would make her feel better to have it when she returns,” he said with a lazy smile.

Zeus wasn’t giving them the whole truth, Percy was sure of that. He kept his mouth clamped shut and just nodded. Percy didn’t trust himself to open his mouth and not insult all the Gods. 

Annabeth thanked them for Percy and they left, still hand in hand. As soon as the door closed, Percy punched the wall with his free hand. It wasn’t fair. 

Annabeth squeezed his hand but didn’t say any words of comfort. She was probably just as angry as he was. 

When they got back in the car, Percy finally spoke, “it’s not fair. It’s not fair.”

“I know.”

Her face remained stony but her eyes were letting on more emotions than she might’ve realized. She was just as scared and as angry as him. Percy felt a little more justified in his reaction to this stupid quest. 

Back at camp, Percy took off for the lake, the only place he had ever felt truly safe. He dived in without a second thought. It was peaceful under the water, quiet and serene. 

Something tapped his shoulder and he whipped around, ready to kill anything in the vicinity, but it was only Annabeth. Shame coursed through him as he put an air bubble around the two of them. 

“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said, “I’m not happy about it either.”

He couldn’t meet her eyes. “A necklace. A stupid necklace is what he wants us to risk our lives for.”

“It can’t just be a necklace, it had to be more. Zeus was holding back something. I don’t remember any myths about Hera owning a special necklace, but I’ll see if I can find anything.”

She stared off in thought. Percy smiled. He was so lucky to have her by his side. And so he leaned in and kissed her, her lips soft and tasting like strawberries. 

They could’ve stayed down there all day in their little air bubble with no one bothering them, but both knew something important was ahead of them and they couldn’t just avoid it. 

But they did stay down there for a few more minutes, kissing and relishing in each other’s company. 

Finally, they returned to the surface. 

\- - - - - - - - - - 

“You want me to come?” Grover asked in disbelief. 

“Well, yeah, you’ve come on all the other ones. The three of us make a great team,” Percy reassured him. 

“Hey, seaweed brain, have you packed yet?” Annabeth called, walking up to them in with a backpack in her arms. 

“Yep.” 

Truthfully, he hadn’t even begun, but he owned such a small amount that it didn’t matter. He could be completely packed in under a minute. 

Grover didn’t have to pack either, just a bag full of cans and he was good to go. 

Percy tried to smile at Annabeth, but it came out as more of a grimace. His stomach was alight with nerves. Why did it always have to be him? And why did he have to leave camp half-blood hardly more than a day after he’d arrived?

But he had to and was soon in a cab driving far away from his second favorite place on earth (the first being with his mom). First they were heading to a special Greek restaurant supposedly owned by an ancient creature who knew Hera and the whereabouts of her necklace. The drive was about an hour which meant Grover talked most of the time while Percy and Annabeth sat in a nervous silence. 

“Um, who are Piper and Jackson and Leon?” Percy asked Annabeth, suddenly remembering what she had asked Zeus. 

She told him the whole story of Jason being son of Zeus and Piper and Leo and the quest they had embarked on. Percy was so relieved he hadn’t been dragged into it, he almost forgot to feel sorry for the three demigods that had. The biggest shock was finding out Jason and Thalia were siblings. Percy had always thought she’d been an only child, just like him. 

But he pushed these new people and ideas out of his head. Percy needed to be focused for what lied ahead, whatever that was. 

When they finally arrived, Percy thanked Argus who only nodded in return. Then the cab was speeding away from them, leaving Percy wondering if he’d ever see it again. 

“I smell monsters,” Grover said almost immediately, followed by a nervous bleat. 

“Good to know Zeus didn’t send us on a quest without monsters. That would’ve been too unusual,” Percy muttered. 

The inside of the restaurant was classy and clean and certainly no where for three kids in t-shirts and jeans to be dining at. Percy ignored the stares and went directly to a waiter, his hand firmly clutched around the ballpoint pen in his pocket. 

“Excuse me, sir, do you know where John Smith is?” he asked. 

Couldn’t monsters come up with a little better names? Come on, it wasn’t that hard to add a little pizazz. Maybe Percy would’ve gone by Skullcrusher or something like that if he’d gotten to choose his name. 

“Right this way, sir.”

Percy glanced at Grover who was now devouring a can, much to the confusion of the guests. Annabeth swatted it away. They didn’t need more attention called to them than they already had. 

The waiter led them back into the kitchen, apparently unaware that it was unusual for three kids to show up at a fancy restaurant and ask for one of the workers by name. As they walked deeper and deeper into the kitchen, Percy grew more anxious. This smelled of a trap. The waiter even sent them along a darkened hallway, not going back there himself for reasons he wouldn’t divulge. 

Sure enough, as soon as they got to the most isolated place of the entire building, a cyclops lumbered towards them, intent on making Annabeth his next meal. 

She dove to the side, coming up quickly with her dagger in her hand. But in diving, her bag had been thrown from her, the bag that held her cap. The only problem was that between her and her cap was a eight foot cyclops who seemed rather hungry. 

Percy uncapped riptide and rushed the monster, jabbing it in the side. Unfortunately, it was only injured and didn’t turn into dust which meant Annabeth was still in grave danger. 

She stabbed but the cyclops dodged the strike and knocked Annabeth off her feet. 

“Hey, you big ugly monster, hey, over here!” Grover called out. 

The monster switched its focus to Grover who let out a scream and backed away until he hit the wall behind him. 

“Distract him!” Percy yelled to Grover and he sprinted over to Annabeth’s bag and removed her Yankees cap. 

“Where can we find Hera’s necklace?” Grover shouted, the cyclops now mere feet from him 

The cyclops let out a chilling laugh. “I always knew she’d want it back someday. But Mabel hid it well. Hera would never look there. Never.”

And with that he turned into a pile of dust, seemingly for no reason until Percy revealed himself, sword still in hand. 

Annabeth sat up, blood streaming down her face. She tenderly touched the cut on the top of her head. Percy brought her backpack over to her and she got out some nectar and ambrosia. The cut healed itself almost immediately. It must’ve been shallow. 

“Well,” Percy sighed, “at least we got a name. Mabel.”

Annabeth nodded. “Mabel and it’s somewhere Hera would never look.”

Percy snorted. “Isn’t that everywhere? Does she ever do anything?”

Thunder rumbled outside despite the perfectly clear sky. Percy held up in hands in a mock surrender. 

“I’m sorry.”

“If you keep taunting the gods like that, one of them is going to get you for it,” Annabeth warned. 

“Oh, and I suppose this is just a fun little gift they’ve given me.” Percy gestured around vaguely. 

Annabeth smiled. “Just try not to get us killed quite yet, okay seaweed brain?”

Percy grinned despite himself. “Fine.”


	3. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ares comes by and gives Percy some hints. Then another familiar face comes by and gives them some much needed help.

They were in the library, pretending to be studying for school while actually looking up anyone who could’ve been the Mabel the cyclops referred too. 

“There was a Mabel Johnson who died three years ago in a car crash,” Grover offered. 

“No, that wouldn’t be her,” Annabeth sighed, “Mabel would have to have lived long ago to have hidden this necklace, thousands of years ago probably.”

“Well I’m glad this’ll be an easy search,” Percy said with a grimace. 

Annabeth just glared and continued talking. “We need to be looking through old Greek books, like the ones back at camp.”

“We can’t go back, there’s no time. The summer solstice is right around the corner.”

For a moment Percy thought she was going to yell at him, but she just sighed. “I know.”

Then the room temperature dropped noticeably and a chill ran down Percy’s spine. He knew the feeling. Ares was in the library. 

Sure enough, the massive God of war sauntered over to the three of them, looking like a biker but a thousand times scarier. Every head in the building turned towards him and snapped away just as fast as though looking at him had hurt their eyes. 

“If it isn’t my three favorite demigods,” Ares snarled, making it clear this was far from the truth. 

He took a seat and put his feet up the table. His boots looked as though they could crush a skull and they probably could. He looked so out of place in a library it was almost comical. The librarian seemed to want to tell him to put his feet down, but thought better of it. 

“What do you want?” Percy growled, trying to keep his anger under wraps. 

“Now that’s no way to speak to me. Maybe I’ll just leave.”

“No, Ares, we’re grateful you came,” Annabeth said quickly, shooting Percy a glare. 

They needed as much help as they could get. He knew that so he kept his mouth shut. 

“I hear you’re looking for Hera’s necklace. I might have something that could help.”

Percy wanted to throttle Ares, but settled for imagining it instead. He needed to stay calm for this. 

“Go to Maryland. See what you can find.” He pulled out of slip of paper and slammed it down on the table. 

Percy grabbed it but didn’t look. He kept his eyes on Ares. 

Then Ares gave them a chilling smile. “I would wish you luck but we’d know it was lie.”

Percy’s hands shook. “Why even help us then?”

Ares had a knife in his hand. Percy didn’t see him grab it or even move at all but suddenly it was there. 

“Would you like to do this quest without my help?”

Percy just stared. He wasn’t going to grovel at Ares feet. Or beg. Or anything like that. Ares could take his paper back if he wanted. They didn’t need his help. 

Luckily, Percy’s silence didn’t worsen the situation and Ares gave them all a smile. “See you around.”

He walked out, his heavy books clunking along the floor. Percy wanted to spit every curse he knew at Ares but restrained himself. Insulting a God was never a good idea. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Grover said. 

Everyone was staring at them and even though Grover had said he hadn’t smelled monsters, all the attention was making Percy nervous. So they opted to sit outside instead. 

As soon as they were seated, Annabeth asked about the paper. 

Percy opened the fist it was clenched in and read it. 

3308 Vern Road, St. Leonard, Maryland 

“It’s an address. We’re going to Maryland.”

The big question now was how were they going to get there? Percy wouldn’t fly. Maybe if they rented a boat or something but it would still take too much time. 

The subway was out of the question. Being trapped in an enclosed space with mortals and the possibility of monsters was terrifying. And Percy had been feeling a little claustrophobic after the final battle. 

After checking the bus schedule, Grover found that the only bus going anywhere near their destination had already left. Well, there was one bus going almost directly to their destination, but it was a deluxe package for rich people and there was no way they could afford even one ticket. 

After half an hour of thinking of ways to get it Maryland, their savior arrived. He was pale with black hair and black clothes. His name was Nico di Angelo. 

Percy was the first one to spot him. “Nico’s here. Why is Nico here?” 

Annabeth grasped Percy’s hand, surely expected some sort of bad news. Instead they received the best news they had all day. 

“Here’s three tickets for the deluxe bus that leaves in thirty minutes. Don’t miss it.”

Percy opened his mouth to ask Nico where he’d gotten the tickets but knew he wouldn’t get the answer. Nico seemed to like being secretive. 

“Where have you been?” Annabeth asked. “You didn’t come to camp all summer.”

“I know. I was with Hazel in California and lost track of time.”

“With who in where?” Percy asked. 

He looked to Annabeth for help but she seemed just as lost as he was. When Annabeth was lost, that was never a good sign. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Nico said quickly, “just know that this quest is important.”

“Of course it’s important. What could be more important than a necklace?”

“Percy, I don’t think it’s just a necklace. Zeus is holding something back and I’m trying to figure out what it is.”

“You can’t figure out what Zeus doesn’t want you to know,” Annabeth interjected. 

“I know, but I have to try and find something. It might save your lives once you get down there, you know, to be prepared for what’s coming.”

“Yeah,” Percy said. 

Percy knew exactly how Nico felt. Nico felt helpless and the only thing he could do was try to find a way to make this quest safer for his friends. So Percy didn’t point out that his endeavors were probably useless. 

“I have to go now. Hopefully I’ll see you guys soon.”

“You’ve barely been here five minutes,” Percy complained. 

“I know, but I have to go. I have to.”

And with that he disappeared into the growing crowd of people. Questions ran around Percy’s mind, all of them racing to be answered first. Why was Nico here? How did he know about the quest? He’d been in California? Okay, so the last one wasn’t too important, but Percy still felt he deserved an answer. 

Percy shook these questions from his mind and gave Annabeth’s hand a reassuring squeeze. They had a bus to catch. 

The bus was fancier than any public transport Percy had ever used. There were meals provided and comfy seating with plenty of leg room and small TVs for each person. 

They shoved their three backpacks into the overhead bins and sunk into the three conjoining seats. Grovers fake feet slipped off at some point on the ride, but everyone was too relaxed to notice. 

Relaxed. That’s what he felt. It’s been a long time since Percy had felt remotely relaxed. But he was here now, in a deluxe bus with a bunch a rich people holding the hand of the most beautiful girl in the world. Relaxed couldn’t even being to describe what he felt as he drifting off into a dreamless sleep for the first time in a long long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s short! They’ll start getting longer, I promise!


	4. The Furies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy reunites with one of his least favorite teachers.

When he awoke, it was dark outside. Everyone else seemed to be asleep except for Annabeth, who was wide awake in the seat next to him. Percy sat up a little bit to get a better look at her. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” she said. Her voice sounded like she had been crying. 

“Um, yeah, are- are you okay?” He really wasn’t good at this sort of stuff. 

“It’s just-“ she broke off, unable to continue. 

Percy put down the arm rest and wedged himself in Annabeth’s seat so that they were hugging. 

“Something bad is going to happen soon. I can feel it.”

Percy felt the same way. He couldn’t even describe the feeling, just a knowingness that something was terribly wrong. A shiver ran down his spine just thinking about it. 

“And I’ve just been feeling so helpless. You weren’t at camp, Percy, and I not mad at you or anything but you didn’t see all the grief. So many people died in the final battle. Camp just felt broken for so long.”

He didn’t say anything. That was true, he hadn’t been around to see the aftermath. Maybe it was worse than he had imagined. No, he’d imagined the worst, whether in his nightmares or daydreams. 

“And then there’s Luke,” Annabeth continued and Percy’s heart sunk. “I know I shouldn’t feel sorry for him. I know it.”

More tears rolled down her cheeks. Percy brushed them away, trying to keep his own tears in. 

“But I can’t help it and every time I want to feel sorry for him or grieve over him, I just end up feeling guilty. He was the enemy Percy, but I knew him before that. He was the one that got me to camp. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.”

“I know. Luke did a lot of bad things, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grieve for him.”

“But he’s the reason everyone else at camp is grieving. He’s the reason their loved ones are dead, so how can I feel sorry for him?”

“If he hadn’t done it, Kronos would’ve just gotten someone else to manipulate. Plenty of demigods joined his side in the end. It could’ve just as easily been one of them.”

She was silent for a few moments, blinking out more tears. Percy raised a hand to his own face and found his cheeks were wet. 

“I know. Luke was dead long before he actually died. He was dead the moment he decided to give you those flying shoes. That wasn’t the real Luke. You never knew the real Luke but I think you would’ve liked him.”

She said this with a small smile as though she was reminiscing on her time with an uncorrupted Luke. 

Percy felt the same way. Whenever Annabeth talked about Luke, Percy felt as though he’d never known him, as though she was talking about a stranger. 

He pulled her into another hug that lasted a long time. Neither one of them wanted to be the first to pull away. 

Then the bus stopped, which should’ve sent off alarms in Percy’s head but didn’t. He vaguely noticed it, like a dream you’ve forgotten when morning rolls around. Three old ladies climbed aboard. Percy didn’t even notice. 

They stalked down the isle and took an empty seat that hadn’t seemed to be there a moment before. Grover woke up. 

“Hey, guys,” he said groggily. 

Percy and Annabeth stopped hugging.

“There was something I was going to tell you,” Grover croaked. “What was it? I don’t know. Maybe it was dream.”

And this especially should’ve set code red major alarms bells off in Percy’s head. 

Instead he just nodded and said, “yeah, dreams are weird like that.”

Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. His comfortable chair had never seemed for inviting. He crawled back in it, longing for the moment when sleep overtook him. 

“It was something,” Grover complained, “maybe monsters or something?”

Annabeth was the first to notice something was wrong. 

“Hey, guys, I think we’re supposed to be doing something. Where are we going?”

“I don’t know.” Why wouldn’t she just be quiet and let him sleep?

“We must’ve been going somewhere. We’re on this bus.” But even her voice sounded disinterested in her own remarks. 

“Maybe we’re going to get cheese enchiladas,” Grover said dreamily. 

“Or see the ocean,” Percy added. 

Annabeth shook her head. “No, no, there was something we were retrieving.”

“Yeah, cheese enchiladas.”

The three old ladies stood up again, making their way towards the three arguing demigods. 

Percy’s instincts took over. His mind was screaming at him to go to bed, that they were going to see the ocean, but his body was on its feet. His hand was firmly gripped around his ballpoint pen even if Percy didn’t quite understand why. 

“Sit down, my child, get some rest, I know you’re aching to,” one of the old ladies crooned. 

He recognized her from somewhere. But where? It didn’t matter, she was telling him to go to sleep and who was he to argue. He started to sit back down. 

Annabeth started. “A necklace! We were getting a necklace for someone.”

Grover rolled over. “Are you sure? It wasn’t enchiladas or cans?”

Percy squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. “Yeah, yeah, there was something to do with a necklace.”

“Just go to bed now,” another old lady said. 

But this time she didn’t sound nice. There was a sharp edge to her voice. Percy fought to stay awake as he tried to remember something, anything about a necklace. 

Another piece of the puzzle fell into place: Hera. Percy didn’t know what that meant but he was sure it had something to do with why they were on the bus. 

“Do we know someone named Hera?” Percy groaned, already half asleep. 

Annabeth shot to her feet. Maybe she had remembered something. Percy didn’t care, he just wanted to go to sleep. 

“We’re on quest. We were sent by Zeus. We’re getting Hera’s necklace for when she returns.”

Something flickered in Percy’s mind, maybe a memory of what Annabeth was describing. But that didn’t matter know. Sleep was much more important. 

Annabeth drew her dagger and faced the three ladies. “What do you want?”

“Just your lives, darling.”

Percy shot up as well, unsure as why he was doing it. His instincts were taking over again. He didn’t quite understand what was happing but he knew they were in trouble. 

Percy got out his pen and uncapped it. A perfectly weighted sword appeared in his hand. Were pens supposed to do that? He didn’t think so. 

One of the old ladies began to transform into a grotesque creature. Her skin looked like old leather and her feet turned into claws.

Old ladies aren’t supposed to do that, he thought dimly. 

Then she attacked, flying at him with her leathery wings. Before he knew what he was going, Percy was slashing at the air like a trained swordsman. The bat-lady dodged his first few strikes and managed to cut Percy’s arm with her talons. 

Even the pain was a dulled sensation. A cut like that should’ve hurt a lot more. 

He lunged at her one more time, managing to slice into one of her wings. Before he could even process his own actions, he was on top of her, driving his sword into her chest. She turned into a pile of dust. 

Unfortunately, there were three of them and the two remaining ones were already at work. Annabeth was fiercely fighting one of them, sweat gleaming on her forehead as she slashed relentlessly at the bat-lady. 

Grover was asleep. Percy envied him. Why couldn’t Percy just go lie down? It would only be for a few minutes, Annabeth could handle herself, couldn’t she? 

He moved towards his seat, but the third bat-lady blocked his path. She swung at him, but he rolled out of the way, popping up on his feet and taking a jab at her back. Percy missed. 

Then there were two of her. And two grovers, and two seats, and two of everything. Maybe his vision was just going haywire. 

He aimed at the one he thought was real, but apparently, he was mistaken. A lengthy talon raked across his back and he let out a cry. 

Percy continued to try and fight the monster with impaired vision. It didn’t go well. 

Annabeth’s fight was going much better. In fact, she was just about to finish the monster off when Percy cried out in pain. Her head whipped towards the sound and the monster pinned Annabeth to the ground. Her dagger slid out of reach. 

Percy saw all of this happen except there were two of Annabeth and the bat-lady. He stumbled over to her and slashed his sword. It made contact with something and there was no more bat-lady. 

Annabeth shouted something at him, but it just sounded like gibberish. His entire body felt like lead, Percy needed a nap. But he sensed something behind him and his instincts took over once more. 

Suddenly he was turned around with his sword impaled in the last bat-lady. She turned to dust. 

Old ladies definitely aren’t supposed to do that, he thought and then the sleep he’d been fighting took over and darkness enveloped him. 

\- - - - - - - - - - 

When Percy awoke, it mid-afternoon. Annabeth and Grover were already wide awake along with most of the bus. Percy yawned and stretched. He’d had a dream about being attacked by Mrs. Dodds. That couldn’t be a good sign. 

“Hey, seaweed brain, you’re finally awake. Did you sleep long enough or do you need to go back to bed?”

He smiled. “I think I’m plenty rested. I just happen to need my beauty sleep.”

She laughed. “Here’s some breakfast.”

She passed him a plate with eggs and sausage and pancakes. Deluxe buses were the best. 

“I had a dream last night,” Percy said, shoving some eggs into his mouth. “Mrs. Dodds attacked us on this bus. You think that’s something to worry about?”

Annabeth’s face fell. “Percy, that wasn’t a dream. The Furies attacked us last night. We were all under some kind of drug, that’s why no one else woke up.”

Now that she said it, he did remember being out of sorts and wanting to go back to sleep no matter what was happening. And then his vision had been blurred as well and he couldn’t even remember that they were on a quest. The drug was powerful, whatever it was. 

“Are you guys okay?” Percy asked. 

Grover smiled. “Yeah, man, we’re fine. Better than you anyway.”

“What happened to me?”

But even as he said these words, everything came rushing back to him. His arm and back had been slashed by their talons. 

Percy examined his arm and found there was a nasty looking scar. 

“It’ll look better than that,” Annabeth assured him, “it hasn’t had that long to heal.”

“How’d it heal so fast?”

“I woke you up after the fight and force fed you nectar and ambrosia. You were pretty out of it, I wouldn’t expect you to remember it.”

Percy flushed, imaging Annabeth having to force him to eat as he tried to go back to sleep. Had he said anything embarrassing? Probably. 

“So what do we do now?”

“We keep riding. There’s no other option.”

“But what was the drug? That stuff was dangerous. I almost left you to die because I wanted to sleep.”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Annabeth hadn’t known he’d opted for sleep instead of helping her against a Fury. Why did he have to tell her?

“Not that I wanted you to die or anything, just the drug, um, it was messing with my mind and I wanted to sleep and that’s all. But I did end up helping you,” he stammered out, his face growing hotter with every words. 

Much to his relief, Annabeth just laughed. “You’re right, we need to find out about that drug or whatever it was. They easily could’ve killed us last night.”

Percy nodded, not trusting himself to speak again. For now all they had to do was wait. And that happened to be one of Percy’s least favorite things to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, the chapters will be getting longer!!


	5. A Bathroom Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets a familiar enemy in the bathroom. Then he has a panic attack and claims he’s fine. (He isn’t.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s some mention of Luke’s suicide in this chapter and also Percy has a panic attack. There’s a fight, but no real gore.

The bus ride made Percy antsy. And he could tell it made the others felt the same way. Sometimes he’d catch Grover chewing on his shirt or cap and Percy would have to slap it out of his hands before anyone noticed. Annabeth even seemed impatient. She read like a madman. Some of the books were in Greek. Some were in English but those took her a little longer. 

The bus stopped at this fancy restaurant to give everyone a nice meal and a bathroom break and a chance to stretch their legs. 

Percy headed off to the bathroom first. A very large man entered the bathroom as Percy was finishing up. Percy barely took notice of the man until he turned into a Minotaur and began to try and kill him. 

Luckily, Percy was only washing his hands and was able to access riptide quickly. He drew the sword and charged, but unfortunately the beast saw this coming a threw Percy into a concrete wall, breaking one of his ribs. 

Grover had smelled the monster and came in swinging like a madman, his fake feet flying off as he ran at the monster. 

But instead of over taking the Minotaur, he just got thrown into the wall besides Percy but wasn’t nearly as injured. That’s when Annabeth arrived. 

But when she opened the door, the Minotaur swung one of its hairy arm’s at her, destroying all but one of the stalls. 

They better not bill us for that, Percy thought. He chuckled at his own joke and sent fire through his ribs again. He reminded himself not to laugh. 

She talked to the beast, distracting it with insults and dodging it’s surprisingly fast arms. Grover grabbed Percy’s sword since he wasn’t using it and stabbed the Minotaur, it’s body turning to dust before their eyes. 

“Well, that wasn’t the best costumer service I’ve ever had,” Percy groaned. 

They were by his side in a moment. Annabeth slowly fed him nectar and ambrosia, a blush rising in his cheeks every time he thought of how close they were. And how if he leaned in a little bit more, they’d be kissing. 

After he’d eaten everything, Annabeth leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips. 

“That’s for not dying. Do it again and you might get another one,” she smirked and then helped him out of the bathroom. 

Grover put his fake feet back on and they took the back exit in hopes that no one would see them leave and connect the destroyed bathroom to them. 

All of them sat on a wooden bench outside the restaurant. If anyone asked, they’d just say they needed the fresh air. 

“I’m hungry,” Percy complained, “I’m fine. Let’s go in and eat.”

“No,” Annabeth countered, “you know nectar and ambrosia don’t work that fast. We’ll just eat on the bus. They have plenty of food.”

“Okay fine, but you two have to go walk around the building.”

“Why?” Grover asked. 

“Because we’ve been sitting in a bus all day and you need to stretch your legs. I feel bad holding you guys back. I’ll be fine I promise.” He patted the pen in his pocket. 

Neither one of them looked happy at the thought of leaving Percy alone, but the bus had made them stiff. They needed the walk. 

“Just one lap around, that’s it,” Annabeth conceded. 

Percy smiled. “Another win for Percy Jackson.”

“You consider this a win, not killing a Minotaur?” Grover asked. 

Percy laughed and immediately regretted it. “Yes.”

They left. As soon as they were out of view, Percy let out a shuddering breath. Tears streaked down his cheeks. He’d almost died. He’d watched as the Minotaur swung at Annabeth, almost killing her as he sat helpless on the bathroom floor. The fight wouldn’t stop replaying in his head. 

And every time it replayed, he thought of the final battle, the dead demigods surrounding him, Luke dying so close to him, the offer of immortality. It was all too much. He had nightmares that he had accepted the offer, became a God, and that everyone and everything around him wilted and died until he was completely alone. Those nights his hands shook more than usual, and he could never stop the tears. 

Deep down Percy knew that even though he’d declined the offer, everyone around him would either leave or die. That was the life of a demigod, wasn’t it? Either the people you loved pushed you away for their own safety, or they didn’t and eventually died. 

Percy knew Annabeth was a good fighter. She’d been at camp since she was seven years old, but all it took was one slip up, a reaction a millisecond too late and she was gone. That’s the way it was for all of them. You lived as a demigod and you died as one. 

Beckendorf. That’s how they would all end up, wasn’t it? Percy’s ears would still ring sometimes from that explosion, reminding him of the gruesome death of a friend. He played that day over and over again in his head, trying to figure out some way he could’ve saved Beckendorf. But the scary thing was Percy wasn’t sure if he’d feel better or worse if there had been a solution, if both of them could have survived. 

And it happened again: the tightness in his chest, not being able to breathe, feeling as though the life was being choked out of him. He stumbled from the bench, not wanting to be so vulnerable in public where any could take advantage of him. The edges of his vision began to go black. He needed to find somewhere fast. 

And then he was in some bushes, not quite sure how he got there. Tears rolled down his face as he desperately tried to suck in air. He scratched at his chest, trying to get whatever was constricting his lungs off, but only found his t-shirt clinging to his chest with sweat. 

I’m dying, aren’t I? Percy wondered vaguely. 

He was back at the battle, Kronos’s army was twice the size of theirs. Annabeth’s hair glinted in the sunlight as she fought off a terrible beast Percy couldn’t even name. It slashed at her again and again. A long red cut appeared on her arm. She cried out in pain. 

And then he was back and Annabeth and Grover were standing over him, saying his name over and over again, but Percy barely heard it. His head was still reeling with memories of the battle. 

His chest began to slowly loosen and breathing became much easier. The crying and the intrusive memories had also stopped. He laid there for a moment, breathing deeply as he got his breath back.

“Percy, what happened? Are you okay?” Annabeth cried. 

“Never better,” his voice was thick with tears. 

Every part of him felt like lead. Whatever had just happened had completely and utterly wiped him out. And then there was his rib which hurt more than Percy could’ve imagined. Grover and Annabeth each took one of his arms and practically drug him back to the bus. 

Once in his seat, sleep overtook him and dreams of dying battle plagued his mind. 

\- - - - - - - - - 

When he awoke, Grover and Annabeth were talking in hushed voices. 

“-I know that! You don’t think I know that,” Grover asked. 

What were they talking about?

“Of course you do, but we have to help him.”

“How? He won’t accept it even if we offer. I doubt he’ll even admit there’s something wrong.”

It took Percy a moment to realize that the person they were talking about was him. 

“I don’t know,” Annabeth whispered, “but we have to do something. Or else this will all catch up to him and if that happens, it’ll be too late to do anything.”

“What’re you talking about?” Percy asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

Their heads snapped towards him and then they gave each other a knowing look. This only made Percy angry. 

“Percy,” Annabeth began, “about what happened back there, it’s okay. And we’re here to help you. We’ll always be there for you.”

This only made him more angry. He didn’t need to be babied. “I don’t need help. I’m fine, I promise.”

Annabeth gave him a sad smile. “You know, it’s okay not to be fine.”

“I know that, but I am fine. Believe me, I am! And I don’t need anyone’s help.”

I’m not broken. That’s what Percy wanted to say, but wasn’t sure if even he could lie that well. 

Maybe he wasn’t fine, maybe he’d never been fine, but no one could help him, no one but himself. 

He looked at Annabeth, ready to try and convince her he was truly fine when something caught his eye. A thin silver scar down her arm. That’s what Percy had seen in the bushes, the memory of her getting that scar. He closed his mouth again. 

This time Grover spoke. “Man, we know the final battle was hard. It was hard on all of us.”

Did you give a knife to a boy and then watch him kill himself with it? Did you, at twelve years old, watch your mom disappear in the hands of a giant beast? Did you travel across the sea of monsters to get to a friend who could’ve already been dead by the time you got there?

He wanted to spit all of these questions at Grover, but instead he just rolled over and pretended to go back to sleep. 

It wouldn’t be fair of him to compare trauma with Grover or anyone really. Grover still fought against Kronos. They were all suffering. 

And so he laid there for a while, until to whole bus fell asleep and only then did he allow himself to cry, silent sobs racking his body. And finally, he fell asleep, his face wet and his mind just short of completely broken.


	6. Hellhound in a Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets a hellhound in a hotel. Some very cute Percabeth happens.

One time, when Percy was young, about seven years old, his mom took him to a carnival. It wasn’t super fancy and he couldn’t ride all the rides or see all the shows as they were short on money, but it had still been an amazing night. 

Percy got some cotton candy and even rode the Ferris wheel, the only ride he went on that night. He’d been terrified of heights, but his mom had just squeezed his hand and smiled. 

“Heights aren’t the scary part, Percy,” she’d said. “You’re scared of falling and you can’t fall if I’m holding your hand.”

It had made sense in the moment and his fear had briefly disappeared. He didn’t let go of his moms hand until they were all the way off the ride, his feet touching the ground.

And he’d felt safe despite being in the presence of one of his biggest fears. Instead of worrying the entire ride, he relaxed and was able to see New York from above. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. 

But now Percy was inching towards the edge of a fifteen story building, wishing he had a hand to hold. 

Percy had never liked heights. He imagined it had something to do with Zeus and how the guy hated him. But facing your fears was always good, right? Then again whoever said that probably wasn’t being backed onto a ledge by a massive hellhound. 

The hellhound had chased him up seven flights of stairs. (How could hellhounds climb stairs that fast?) The bus had stopped at a fancy hotel for the night, giving its riders a real bed to rest in and a chance to walk around a little bit. Percy and his friends were staying on the eighth floor which none of them were too happy about. 

Annabeth got a room to herself while Percy and Grover got another one. After Grover started to snore, Percy slipped out and stalked down the hallway, planning to go to Annabeth’s room and apologize. He’d been such an ass when she’d offered her help. 

But instead of a beautiful girl with curly blond hair and grey eyes, Percy found a hellhound in the hallway. Unfortunately, he was much closer to the stairs than the elevator. Thinking back on it, he wished he would’ve risked taking the elevator. Percy really hated stairs. 

So here he was, slowly edging towards a fifteen story drop while the hellhound growled at him, it’s teeth gleaming in the moonlight. 

There was no railing on the edge. Who didn’t put a railing on a roof? That was just bad architecture. Annabeth would never do something like that, would she? Percy’s mind was spinning. 

He thought back to that day at the carnival. His mother’s words echoing in his head. 

“You can’t fall if I’m holding you’re hand.”

That’s what she had said, but she wasn’t here now. He was gripping a sword in one hand and the cool breeze ran through the other. There was no hand to hold. 

Unless...

No, that was crazy. But he needed a crazy idea if he was going to make it out of this situation alive. So he concentrated and soon something tugged in his gut. 

There were several different waterways throughout the hotel. There were sinks and toilets and showers and most importantly, pipes full of water, water that Percy could utilize. 

Screams came up through the night as shower heads exploded and toilets began to overflow. The sound made the hellhound hesitate long enough for Percy to finish his plan. 

A hand to hold onto, that was all he needed. And a hand came to him. It wasn’t his moms hand even though he would’ve much preferred that, but it was good enough. The hand was made of water. 

And Percy grabbed it, the water surprisingly cold in the night air. A shiver went through his body but he didn’t stop. 

The water lifted him off of the roof like he was a surfer with much deadlier consequences. The hellhound tried to jump at him, but Percy was already too high. He willed himself not to look down even though he knew water freely flowing out of the top floor windows and creating a platform for him would have been an amazing sight. 

The cold wind whipped around his bare arms and face making Percy wish he’d brought a coat or, preferably, that he wasn’t floating off a roof in the middle of the night. But either one would’ve worked. 

The hellhound turned around apparently deciding Percy was a lost cause. There were mortals in the hotel and Annabeth and Grover. He couldn’t let it go back inside. 

“Hey, you ugly beast, remember me?” he shouted. 

It looked very similar to the one Luke had let in the camp on Percy’s first game of capture the flag, but all hellhounds probably looked the same. 

Either the hellhound didn’t recognize Percy, it didn’t care, it wasn’t the right hellhound or it didn’t understand English. Percy was willing to bet on the last one but he’d seen enough weird things in his life to know that may not be the case. 

The water surged over the hellhound, pinning it to the ground as Percy jumped down and stabbed the monster. It turned to dust. 

“You couldn’t have thought to do that a little earlier?” Percy said to himself. 

Why had it taken him so long to think of using water and even longer to think of using it against the hellhound? Maybe he was more tired than he realized. 

When he re-entered the building, the carpeted hallway was soaking wet. He grimaced and despite his fatigue, dried the entire hallway. Maybe that would make up for soaking an entire floor in water. And he promised himself he wouldn’t eat too much of the hotels food the next morning as another repayment. 

This time he took the elevator down to the eighth floor and went to his room. Luckily since he’d been planning a quick trip to Annabeth’s room, he had grabbed a key on the way out. Percy opened the door as quietly as possible, kicked off his shoes, and flopped onto the bed, falling asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. 

\- - - - - - - - - -

Percy opened his eyes when Grover flicked on the light. 

Where was he again? He was in a hotel, that much he was sure of, but why? He was on a... quest. Yes, that was it, a quest. But why? And what was he doing in this hotel?

“Hey, man, you good?” Grover asked, his horns just visible over his messy hair. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them. That was Grover. He was sure of that. But what was Grover doing with him? Had something happened? 

It took another ten seconds of him aimlessly asking himself these questions before the memories came rushing back to him. He knew what quest they were on and why they were on it.

Mornings were never Percy’s strong suit, but even he could remember big stuff in the morning. He shrugged. Maybe he’d still been half-asleep or something. 

Percy and Grover left their room around seven thirty as the bus driver had made it perfectly clear that he was leaving at nine am sharp whether they were on board or not. 

Annabeth was waiting for the elevator as they came up to it. Oh gods, she was so pretty Percy could’ve melted into a puddle right then and there. Her blond hair was thrown into a loose ponytail and her eyelids drooped even though the gray eyes beneath them were alert, seeking out any potential threats. 

“Oh, good morning,” she said. 

Grover yawned. “Morning.”

She wore jeans and a loose grey t-shirt, matching Percy’s outfit almost perfectly. 

“I know it’s hard, but don’t try to imitate me. This kind of cool can only be pulled off by one person and his name is Percy Jackson.”

Annabeth grinned. “I hadn’t realized that the new word for ‘dork’ was ‘cool.’”

He stuck out his tongue and she giggled. Grover laughed too but it can out as more of a bleat than anything.

The elevator doors slid open and the three of them stepped in. The doors closed again and it lurched into motion. 

They ate their breakfast in silence. Maybe Annabeth and Grover didn’t have anything to discuss. Percy was silent because he was intent on not making a fool of himself and didn’t trust his mouth this early in the morning. So he ate a few pancakes, sure not to eat to much as his penance for wrecking the top floor. 

When Grover left to grab seconds, Percy finally took the risk and spoke to Annabeth. He didn’t even know what he was going to say until it was out of his mouth. 

“I know it can be tempting, but just remember that we are in public.”

“What?” She took a sip of her orange juice. 

“Try to refrain from kissing me, as hard as that sounds. I know that me shoving pancakes into my mouth at super sonic speed can be very attractive. Just look away if you can’t handle it.”

She laughed and Percy wanted to listen to that sound all day. “I’ll try.”

And then she added in a lower voice, “but no promises.”

Percy blushed and turned back to his pancakes. For once he was cool, making quick remarks, and then she had to go embarrass him. It didn’t seem fair. 

The three got back in the elevator heading up to their rooms to pack. 

“Hey, Percy,” Annabeth crooned with a smile he could’ve kissed for days.

He could hardly keep from smiling at the tone of her voice. “Yes?”

“When were you going to tell us you faced a monster on the roof last night.”

It wasn’t quite what Percy had been expecting. 

Percy gave her a sheepish grin. “Hadn’t decided yet.”

“You did what?” Grover asked. 

He explained the whole story in his hotel room while Grover and him packed. He didn’t mention the carnival story or how he wished his mom had been there to hold his hand but included everything else. 

“A hellhound? In the hotel?” Grover repeated. 

“Yeah, and I don’t know how it got in.”

“That’s not important right now,” Annabeth cut in. “It’s important that we stay alert. I suggest we start taking turns sleeping on the bus. If Percy and I hadn’t been awake when the Furies came aboard...”

She shuddered. 

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“What if the food is poisoned? We have to eat,” Grover pointed out 

“I thought you could smell that sort of thing.”

“Usually I can, but there could be something I’m unfamiliar with.” He began to naw on one of the sheets. 

Percy grimaced. “We’ll just have to trust that the monsters want to kill us themselves and won’t use other methods. They usually want a fight. I doubt they’d give us poison. There’s no big story to tell afterwards.”

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably. 

“What is it, Annabeth?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” she said, raising her chin as if daring the two boys to ask again. 

He’d learned long ago that if Annabeth didn’t want to tell him something, he wouldn’t get told. A prime example was the great prophecy she’d kept from him for years. But he’d forgiven her for that. Mostly. 

“Let’s just try and get through this. Maybe we’ll even survive this damn quest.”

“That’s the dream, seaweed brain.”

They loaded onto the bus at eight forty five, not trusting the bus driver not to drive off early and leave them behind. 

Percy crawled back into his seat next to Annabeth and took her hand in his. She turned her head and gave him a dazzling smile. 

They kissed. It was a very good kiss or at least that’s what Percy thought. It would’ve lasted longer if Grover hadn’t started making fake gagging noises. Annabeth picked up one of her pillows and hit Grover over the head with it. 

Percy laughed, his rib still slightly sore. It had healed surprisingly fast. Maybe it had only been cracked, not broken like he thought it was.

Percy settled into his seat as Annabeth continued to beat Grover over the head. He was feeling lucky. Maybe they’d go the rest of the day without a sight of monsters in their path. 

But he knew he was wrong.


	7. Another monster already?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy meets a familiar monster. And he finds out he can throw swords with some accuracy.

They encountered the next monster only two hours later. The bus stopped and a passenger had climbed aboard with her dog, just as the Furies had. 

“Percy,” Annabeth’s voice warned as the bus slowed. 

For a moment his entire body buzzed with energy, ready to strike whatever came through the door. But then he lost interest. Who cared what came through the door?He certainly didn’t. He sunk back into his seat, not having a care in the world. Busses stopped for plenty of reasons, right?

Even Annabeth seemed to have lost interest as she pulled back out her book and began to read. Grover was intently studying one of his cans. He sniffed the air a few times, opened his mouth to say something, and promptly closed it again, returning to his can without a second thought. 

Percy watched the lady walk down the isle and take up two seats, one for her and one for her little dog. This all felt vaguely familiar to Percy, but he just shrugged it off. He hadn’t gotten very much sleep after his encounter with the hellhound. Maybe that was why he couldn’t think straight. 

“I think I’ll go to bed now.” Percy rubbed his eyes. 

Annabeth and Grover barely spared him a look. He pulled out his pillow, sure he was going to fall asleep in moments. But he didn’t. In fact, he could barely close his eyes. His body was still full of restless energy for some reason. 

“Hello, would any of you happen to know where the restroom is?” the lady asked. 

Percy looked up and when he met her eyes, a wave of exhaustion hit him so hard he almost fell right then. But his heart started beating faster the closer the lady was and he managed to stay awake. 

Annabeth and Grover seemed to be feeling the same affects, like their body and minds were fighting. 

“Um, I think there’s one at the back of the bus,” Percy choked out. 

“Thank you so much. Where are you three headed?”

Percy turned to Annabeth. Surely she knew where they were going. She just stared back with a blank expression. Percy dug into the depths of his mind to try to find an answer but none came. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t actually know where we’re going.”

Grover and Annabeth shook their heads in agreement. 

“That’s alright dears, soon you won’t have anything to remember and you won’t have any heads to think about it.”

Percy knew her words weren’t quite right but he was so sleepy and she’d said it so nicely, he couldn’t bring himself to care. Maybe if he didn’t have a head, he’d finally get to sleep a little bit. 

“Hush now, go to sleep.”

Percy’s eyes closed shut and he was unable to open them. He didn’t think this was weird. He was probably just really tired or something. 

“Somethings not right,” Annabeth said. 

“Oh, don’t be a bad sport. This is all fun. You’re having fun, aren’t you, Perseus?”

“I’m having lots of fun.” He tried to nod but his head was too heavy to move. 

“No, no,” Annabeth muttered. 

Why couldn’t she just leave it alone? Percy was having a great time. He was going to get a nap. That’s all he needed. And then all of his problems would be solved. If only he could fall asleep faster. 

Annabeth quit talking but Percy felt her move in the seat beside him. She just needed to go to sleep. Then everything would be okay and she would stop worrying. Percy was going to tell her that, but the lady beat him to it. 

“Dear, Annabeth, just go to sleep.”

Annabeth stopped moving momentarily but soon began again. All the movement was starting to annoy Percy. He’d already be asleep by now if it wasn’t for her. 

She found what she was looking for and exclaimed with joy. 

“Shut up, I’m trying to sleep,” Percy tried to say but it came out as more of a groan. His lips were magnets unable to part from each other. 

Then he was cold and wet. Water dripped down his face as he flung his eyes open, ready to kill whoever had just awoken him. Annabeth stared at him, an empty water bottle in her hand. She’d just poured water on him! Percy was about to lunge at her, but he stopped. Something wasn’t right. 

Then it dawned on him. He didn’t need sleep. He needed to kill that lady. As Percy stood up, her chihuahua growled at him. He drew riptide before speaking, just in case. 

“You’re from the Gateway Arch, aren’t you?”

“An observant boy. It’s a shame I’ll have to kill you. Unless you’d rather work with me instead of losing your precious girlfriend.”

With that, she grabbed Annabeth and put a knife to her throat. Annabeth didn’t scream but terror filled her eyes. 

The lady turned into the monster he’d fought on the arch and her dog did the same. He took a deep breath. Annabeth wasn’t going to die. She wasn’t. She couldn’t. 

Percy only had once choice. He threw riptide at the former dog and, surprisingly enough, it stuck, turning the beast into nothing. Annabeth took advantage of the lady’s second of shock and stabbed her with a dagger. She dissolved. 

Blood dripped down Annabeth’s neck. She was breathing hard, they both were. Annabeth had almost died. Percy collapsed back into his seat. Annabeth did the same. 

Grover woke up. “What happened? There was monster, I smelled it and wanted to tell you, but...”

He trailed off seeing their expressions and the cut on Annabeth’s neck. His eyes bulged and his entire face turned red. 

“Some satyr I am. I couldn’t even warn you about it. That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it? And I can’t even do that.”

Percy sighed. “There’s plenty of reasons you’re here and all of us were under her spell. If it weren’t for Annabeth, we’d be dead.”

He turned to look at her. Both times a monster had boarded and attacked, she’d been the first one to break out of the sleeping spell. He couldn’t figure out why. 

“And if it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. When did you learn to throw a sword?”

Percy gave her the best smile he could. “Never. I just tried it and turns out I’m a natural.”

They all took a break in complete silence to process what had just happened. Percy couldn’t believe that this was the second time Annabeth had almost died when she was mere feet away from him. Percy couldn’t protect her and wondered why he ever thought he could.

After that, they all compared the feelings they got when the monster had boarded the train. Both Annabeth and Grover seemed to have the same feelings as him except Grover’s were much stronger and Annabeth’s were much weaker. 

Percy always knew Annabeth was stronger than him mentally so he wasn’t surprised this was the case. As he thought this, he couldn’t stop looking at the fading gray streak in her hair. She’d held it longer than he had. Annabeth was stronger. 

Percy knew his powers surpassed hers by a long shot but they wouldn’t do him much good if he was asleep. Or if he was too dead to use them. 

“How are all these monsters finding us?” Annabeth asked. “We’ve only been on this bus for two days.”

“Maybe we smell stronger,” Percy said, giving himself a sniff. He didn’t smell that bad considering the hotel shower was dreadful. 

“No, believe me, I could tell if you smelled,” Grover said. 

“Then what’s happening?”

Both of the boys shrugged. 

“There’s nothing we can do about it, is there? I mean, we have to keep fighting them don’t we?”

“Yeah,” Percy sighed, “there has to be a reason why this is happening. It’s not a coincidence that we’re sent to retrieve Hera’s necklace and all these monsters are coming after us. They’re connected somehow. If we could find out how, maybe we could stop them easier.”

“Next time we stop, I’ll see if there’s a library around and see what I can find,” Annabeth said. 

Then the discussion was over and they moved onto happier topics, but Percy’s mind kept coming back around. Why were all these monsters coming after them? They couldn’t keep fighting; he knew that. It only took one monster, one mistake, one second to late, and he was dead. Or Annabeth was. Or Grover. They couldn’t afford to keep fighting all these battles because eventually their luck would run out. 

Percy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He hadn’t told anyone, but part of him had wished that after the battle with Kronos, he could live a normal life. Or as normal as he could. There would be no quests or prophecies, just him and Annabeth and his friends. Maybe he’d graduate high school or maybe even go to college. Some part of him hadn’t quite accepted that it wouldn’t happen. Even now, he wondered if this was the last quest he’d go on. But however much he wanted that to be the case, it wouldn’t be. That wasn’t the life of demigod. 

Percy blinked back tears. Part of him had wished for that stuff, even wished to be home with his mom and Paul and not have to worry about them being in danger because of him. But his life had never been like that, even before he found out he was demigod. There was always something, whether it be getting kicked out of school or failing his classes or hiding the bruises on his face the morning after Gabe had lost his poker game. There had always been something. 

He supposed he should consider himself lucky. After all, most demigods didn’t get this far. Percy had lived to the ripe old age of sixteen. Would he die at that age too? Percy shook his head as though the thoughts might just fall out if he did so. Never think about dying. Percy had learned that long ago. Whenever he did, it made him more reckless and more likely to get him and others hurt.

So instead of that, he thought of Annabeth. He studied her round eyes and her lips and the way she smiled. Percy watched her as she burst out laughing and made a silent thank you to the Gods for making something so perfect. No, not perfect. None of them were perfect, but Annabeth was better. She was better than him and Grover and anyone Percy had ever met. 

Annabeth wasn’t perfect. But she was the best thing he had in his life and he was never going to let that be taken away.


	8. The Necklace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy learns more about the mysterious necklace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mentions of the beginnings of a panic attack.

Annabeth took a nap around lunch which meant Percy and Grover had about an hour to talk. 

“There’s something I haven’t told you,” Grover whispered ten minutes after he was absolutely sure Annabeth was asleep. 

Percy looked up from his newspaper in surprise. “What?”

“The necklace... it’s- well, it’s powerful. More powerful than any of us could imagine. It has caused many wars just because people wanted to own it. I don’t know why we were sent to retrieve it now, but it can only cause problems.”

Percy hesitated. “Does Annabeth know?”

“No and she can’t know.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” he dropped his voice so Percy had to strain to hear him, “she’s dealt with it before.”

“What? How?” Percy said a bit too loud. Annabeth stirred a little but didn’t wake up. 

“It’s the reason she ran away from home.”

Percy racked his brain for any mention of this necklace or any time she had acted weird when hearing about it. He came up with nothing. 

“She’s never told me about it.”

“I know. That’s because she doesn’t remember, you know just how we don’t remember much when a monster comes on board.”

Grover started eating his hat, revealing two horns poking out from his curly hair. Percy took another cap out of his bag and placed it on Grover’s head.

“Thanks, uh, as I was saying, she doesn’t remember it. Her dad collects old artifacts and he happened to get the necklace. He became so obsessed with it, he didn’t even notice that Annabeth had left for a few days after.”

“Her dad didn’t notice she was gone?”

Percy couldn’t imagine what that must’ve been like. His mom would notice the second he was gone and go to hell and back to save him. Just as he had done for her. 

Grover shook his head. “No, and then Annabeth met up with Luke and Thalia, and I led them back.”

He didn’t meet Percy’s eyes for the last part. Grover had only gotten two of the three demigods back to camp. Luckily, Thalia was now alive and well with the Hunters. But Percy knew Grover was still ashamed of this incident. 

“Annabeth told Luke and Chiron and some other people stories of home, some of which included the necklace. Chiron guessed what it was right away. Luke took a little while longer, but once he guessed it, he wanted to have it. Chiron knew how dangerous it could be so he sent out a few demigods to retrieve it once he was absolutely sure what it was. The demigods never returned.”

“What happened to them?” Percy interrupted. 

“We don’t know. Finally, some other demigods were able to steal it from Mr. Chase’s room. They brought it back to the camp and Chiron was just relieved it hadn’t turned any of them crazy.”

Annabeth took a deep breath and both of the boys froze but her breathing continued like normal and they resumed the conversation. 

“So how’d it get out of the camp?”

“It was stolen three days later. Everyone searched the camp, every inch of it, but the necklace was never found. My guess is that Luke stole it.”

“But they would’ve found it if he had.”

“Not necessarily, Luke was sneaky and cunning and probably knew places in the camp that no one else did.”

“Even Chiron?”

“Chiron never suspected Luke which meant he could change hiding places without arousing suspicion.”

“So how’d it get down in Maryland?”

“I think that Luke shipped it off there to hide until he could use it without being under Chiron’s watchful eye. But maybe he never had the chance before Kronos and everything happened. Or maybe he forgot about it the same way Annabeth did.”

“Why do people forget about it?”

“There’s lots of theories. A lot of people think that the necklace is so powerful, it has to erase itself from your brain, or your brain will explode.”

Percy gave a dry laugh. “What a great way to go.”

Grover was pale, as though just speaking of the necklace had scared him half to death. He was already gnawing on his second hat by the time he finished the story. 

“Why didn’t you tell me this when we very first started? Why didn’t anybody? Even Chiron didn’t give me any warning.”

Grover stared at Percy for a moment. “Because I forgot. I don’t know how I just remembered, but I didn’t know any of that stuff when we got on this bus.”

Grover looked like he was about to panic. Maybe he already was. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, like you said that’s how the necklace works. Since we’re getting closer, the memories are coming back. That makes sense, right?”

Grover nodded slowly, his face still deathly pale. 

“Does Annabeth remember?” Percy asked. 

“No, but I bet that’s why she can fight off the forgetfulness better than we can. She’s already been through it once so she’s used to it.”

Percy nodded. “That has to be it. Do you think she’ll ever remember?”

Grover just shrugged. 

That was a lot to process for Percy. His mind was reeling. Annabeth’s father had once owned this necklace? It had been in her house for a long time and she didn’t even remember it? An involuntary shudder went through him. If Annabeth could forget the thing that had ripped her family apart, the necklace must’ve been more powerful than Percy imagined. 

And Luke was coming back into the equation even when he was dead. Luke, the man who had made Percy’s life miserable for years, was now continuing to do so even after he died. Oh gods, couldn’t Percy ever get I break? 

Grover didn’t seem to have anymore to say, so Percy used the silence to contemplate what this meant for their quest. Would they even remember going on the quest? After all of this was done, how much would Percy know? If Annabeth or Grover died, would he know how or why they’d died?

That was more than he could bare. He could die on this quest and no one would remember what he had died for or even how it happened. The tightness in his chest came back with surprising force. He gasped for air. He was dying right now, wasn’t he? Would his friends remember this? Would his mom ever know the truth?

It became harder and harder for Percy to breath until he was loudly gasping and attracting the attention of everyone on board. He even woke Annabeth up. Percy looked at her through the tears. What if she died and he never knew why? 

Then it all went black. 

\- - - - - - - - - - 

When Percy awoke, he was drenched in sweat and the familiar scent of Annabeth drifted towards him. He opened his eyes to find that he was no longer on the bus, but rather on a bench in a park he’d never seen before. 

He looked around wildly and found his head was resting on Annabeth’s lap while Grover sat in the grass just on the other side of him. 

“What happened?”

Annabeth jerked when he spoke. It took her a second to realize that it was Percy who had spoken and that he was awake. Percy expected her to say something, but she just bent down and gave him a long kiss. 

Then she hit his shoulder. Hard. It hurt. 

“Don’t ever do that again, okay? You scared me, seaweed brain. Don’t do it again.”

Percy gave her a weak smile. “I’ll try not to.”

Grover came over. “Oh, thank the gods our awake. You really scared us there.”

“I know,” Percy said, “Annabeth was just telling me.”

Percy sat up, making his vision swim around. He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. That seemed to help a little bit. 

“Where are we?”

“Maryland. But we’re still not in the right city. The bus driver said this was as far as he could take us.”

Percy sighed. He’d never liked bus drivers since one of his turned into a cyclops and tried to eat him when he was ten. 

“How long have I been out?”

“Six hours.”

“Six hours? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“We tried,” Annabeth spat, “but you wouldn’t wake up. We thought you might be dead.”

Percy swallowed. Six hours? That wasn’t passing out. That was something else entirely. 

It came back to him all at once: the conversation with Grover, the necklace, the trouble breathing, and the blacking out. 

The sky was much darker and was lined with purple and yellow instead of blue. He’d passed out around noon which meant it had to be about six. As if on queue, his stomach growled. 

“We can talk about this over dinner. Do you guys happen to know where the closest cheeseburger is?”


End file.
